Public sector to keep benefits says memo
Posted on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 16:14 in Headline News
(CNS): Civil Servants will not be forced to make a fifty percent contribution to their health care, according to a memo from the Deputy Governor’s Office. Despite the announcement by the premier that he would be looking to reduce health benefits, freeze pensions and cut salaries of public sector workers in order to address the country’s forecast deficit, a memo sent to senior civil servants on Thursday indicates that the pension freeze is being deferred, and health care benefits will now not be pursued. The Cayman Islands civil service still faces uncertainty regarding earnings, however, as the memo indicates, salaries will not be cut in March but the pay reduction is still on the table for April.
On Tuesday evening some 700 public sector workers met at the Mary Miller Hall in George Town to hear that they could be facing salary cuts, starting at 5% for those earning $3000 per month, from this month’s pay cheque, as well as reductions in their employee benefits. The meeting followed Bush’s address to the nation on Monday evening, in which he said that, although he did not want to cut salaries, there was little option.
The premier first made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly last week, stating that it was as a direct result of the need to drastically cut operating expenses in order to balance the 2009/10 budget after revenue predictions for the year have fallen some $70 million on estimates made in October.
Bush is currently in the UK discussing the contents of the Miller-Shaw report with the FCO, as well as the difficulties the Cayman Islands Government now faces over its revenue and expenditure.
The memo offering a reprieve to public servants was sent to senior staff by Franz Manderson and also focused on the need to cut the remaining appropriations of each department by 15%.
“These reductions are utterly essential in order to reduce the projected net deficit for the year to 30th June 2010 by the entire public sector of CI$61 million,” the memo stated. The chief officer said that any acute negative impacts as a result of the reductions needed to be reported but that could not be used as a basis for not cutting and where possible departments needed to look for cuts over and above the 15%.
Manderson stated that the considerations for the 15 percent cuts would be made by Cabinet on Tuesday of next week.
The premier is expected to return from the UK early next week following his discussions on the Miller-Shaw report, which he has said he will make public on his return. Although the report has been kept under wraps, a combination of reliable sources have indicated that the report focuses on the need to drastically reduce the size of government administration and avoid imposing further taxes on the private sector.
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I have been reading comments
I have been reading comments on here and would suggest that folks scroll down and read this post I went to the hospital last Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 00:00 and those in reply. I want to add my two cents and also praise our doctors at HSA for their caring demeanor and respect shown to patients. I have also encountered a less than respectful or caring service from a doctor at the other facility and now prefer to wait at HSA. My experience has been that once the doctors at HSA advised of a serious issue such, as bleeding, the patient is given immediate attention. My guess is that the doctors on duty that evening were not so advised.
Reduce all duplicate
Reduce all duplicate positions like those in HR, the CFO positions, Deputy Chief Officers just to name a few eliminate all the waste and pork belly projects. This way the Civil Servants will be able to keep the little benefits that they have. By God, these are some of the few benefits that Caymanians get from albiet the so call development. I don't see the benefits to Caymanians from the mass development, where are the Caymanian millionaires, muti million dollars developments, institutions of higher learning, technical schools, educated population, homes that are paid for, social programs, world class sporting facilities, true businesses (without fronting)?
The average Caymanian was better off in 1980 and had more in terms of wealth, less stress and happiness than now in this so call time of plenty. Please look around and take note of the beneficiaries of this wealth and trickle down economic theory. Caymanians all right! trickle down to nothing... therefore I say leave the Civil Service benefits as is, no pay cuts and no payment of health insurance. Have a heart what more will you expect of the Caymanian population, what more do you expect them to give away, what else is there to give? Take away some of the concessions and give it to the working poor. Thank you to all the Civil Servants that do a good job and to those who don't be careful very careful all eyes are upon you and remember job are hard to get.
Has any one heard of Econ
Has any one heard of Econ 101 and 102?.... Government should take a mandatory refresher course in Economics before they are admitted to Parliament.
I reviewed the budget yesterday and I see where they are planning to build a play field on the bluff for $6million. What the?.... Millions of dollars to add new road on Cayman Brac. New roads and contruction on Grand Cayman, millions again. Before they decide to cut civil servants pay they need to go back to the budget and cut everyone of those projects that they have not started. Once they do that the budget should balance.
Taking money away from the people is detramental. We already have a crime problem we don't want it to exulate because people cant afford to put food on their families table. Have the even thought of what will be the reprecussion of their decision? Both parties are leading the country to destruction. Do they not realize that people are given loans depending on their salaries, do they not realize that if they decrease salaries, their social service expense will increase, do they not realize that production will decrease because workers are unsatisfied which will cause the government expense to increase.
Let's see what they do. They promised "A BETTER WAY FORWARD" in their campaign. Let's see if they will fulfill their promise.
If they are building new
If they are building new roads in the Brac I object but I think they are fixing the roads. Honestly, they haven't been repaved since like 1802. lol! Slight exaggeration but they are in awful condition.
The “I pay 50 %
The “I pay 50 % therefore you should pay 50% of health insurance…” argument is a red herring. The real issue is that the health insurance law is fatally flawed.
The results of this plan are exactly the same as in the US, leaving many uninsured, many more under-insured and the wealthy over-insured. The consequences will replicate the US issues of personal bankruptcy due to health payments (60%) and long-term family loss of property, wealth and income.
I enjoy good health and have private insurance. But, I know that the insurance company does “cherry pick”, by having exhaustive medicals done on new employees. And, if I were a shareholder in that company, I would want them to. This is the fundamental flaw with having “for profit” insurance schemes.
In order to control costs and ensure health care for Caymanians and all residents, we desperately need to have a single insurance provider for primary health care. Private insurance does have a place, for such additions as private rooms, extended care in other countries, better vision/dental plans, all brand name drugs…
The really sad thing about
The really sad thing about all the recent news about the budget is that every single proposal to raise revenue (apart from massive increases in fees and a punitive tax on the poorest workers' money transfers), capital or to cut costs has been rejected or abandoned, so, in truth, the Government and the country are no further towards a solution than they were before they went to London last time.
No bones about it, the Government chose extremely "small government" advisers to conduct the required survey into the budget, and therefore it is no surprise that the only real solution suggested by those advisers was to cut the size of and cost of Government. It's a no brainer.
If that is unpalatable (about 50% of the voters are employed by Government because of the restricted franchise), the only other solution is direct taxation. However, the UK, which will have the whip hand after this fiasco of governmental cowardice and opposition pigheadedness, will not allow taxation which is discrimatory, so everyone will pay, dependant on means. I predict a property tax, like the UK council tax, based on property valuation, first, followed by a payroll tax. The amounts will be small, but, if Government's major expense (eg its employees and their benefits) cannot and will not be reduced, there is no option. We have seen the effect of raising fees and duties - a massive (predictable but unpredicted - or ignored) drop in revenue, and a flight from the jurisdiction of important offshore clients. Duh.
All of you naysayers, who have opposed every single change or proposal, but who want gold plated everything, but had no idea how to pay for it (or, probably, felt that they were entitled to it without paying for it) are responsible for this.
The final truth - the private sector does indeed pay for government - and can no longer afford to do so. Get over it.
All I know is when I go to a
All I know is when I go to a govn't department I have to wait to speak to someone while the gov't employees gossip and drink their coffee and if you tell them you are in a hurry you get attitude! I was put on hold on the phone once and could hear I was put on hold so that the lady could flirt with some guy! The simplest tasks take forever to achieve because they somply don't care and half the employees don't even know how to get the job done, so yes they are overpaid. If so many of them can sit around and gossip clearly there are more employees than are needed.
Anyone else tried to have
Anyone else tried to have their vehcle licensed to have the worker disappear for 5 minutes in the middle of being served, with out them saying anything. and when thry get back they stink of smoke.
that really says it all
Also the fact that Cayman now has a big industry where you can pay people to deal with the Gov to get things doen on your behalf (eg licencing) when 20% of the working population is employed by CIG really shows how hard they work.
Service? anyone see that notice at the cashier as GT hospital that states
"The customer is not right, but can expect a pleasant service if they are pleasant" Who great slogan...only in Cayman
Please stop painting all
Please stop painting all civil servants with the same brush.
i have never seen a
i have never seen a government do as many -u-turn and flip-flops on issues since being elected..... can someone in the media please do an article listing issues the government have flip floped..... it started with pirates week debacle and has happened on a weekly basis since then......
This sounds like a perfect
This sounds like a perfect job for you. Please research and fill us all in. I'd hate to see someone else do the work only to hear complaints later that the answer is insufficient. Google is your friend.
One question keeps getting
One question keeps getting asked over and over again on this thread and others. I have never heard a proper answer given. So let's ask the basic, obvious question yet again:
Why can't Civil Servants pay their fair share of health insurance and pension just like everybody else?
The short answer to your
The short answer to your question is that many sivil servants do pay their fair share by purchasing private insurance through, reputable insurance companies, to ensure that they and their families are properly covered in the event of an emergency. They do not want to be left to the mercy of the government's CINICO coverage.
There are, of course, the highly paid and unnecessary Chief Officers, and others, who should be weeded out and gotten rid of, not the middle management and lower ranks, most of who work hard and keep the country going. Several civil servants I know are paid such low base salaries that the12% pension contribution paid by government is all that makes it worthwhile. Compare that with the long hours that many of these poor people work, including evenings and weekends without compensation when the rest of us are enjoying a break, to ensure that essential services are provided to all of us, the complaining ungrateful lot out here, and you will soon see that in fact they are still underpaid.
Just stop bashing the civil service and looking to them to solve the economic woes of these islands and instead turn your attention to the successive political wings of government who have overspent their budgets, tweaked the figures to suit their purposes and landed us all in this mess. That is where your venom should be directed, not the civil servants.
The British Government runs
The British Government runs the civil service. The Public pays for it and The Premier and other Government members have to find the money no matter what.
Mac cant touch the civil service with a long stick so long as the Governor wont allow it, so dont think for a minute that we will see any cuts to either salaries, health, pensions or numbers any time soon unless we go Independent then Mac can do what he wanZ
Most civil servants I know
Most civil servants I know would do that, but the rules need to be changed and no one is making any real effort to change the rules.
It's apparently easier just to bash the civil servants than to make real effort at solving problems.
Why can't Civil Servants pay
Why can't Civil Servants pay their fair share of health insurance and pension?
The answer is simple.
They're not used to it and don't want to.
Any other questions?
I have been here for 25 years
I have been here for 25 years - been a CS for 12 years - I work pay check to pay check. My friends in the private sector who do not do a job anything like mine are shocked that I earn way less than them, and they are sales assistants! There may be some, a lot earning big bucks, but trust me, the hard working majority do not.
Because it is in my contract
Because it is in my contract of employment and when I took the job less then 12 months ago I did so in the full knowledge of my entire remuneration package.
If it is to change then as far as I am concerned it is a breach of contract and a court case.
ok now! enough of this damned
ok now! enough of this damned flip-flopping and yo-yoing by Mac and the UDP gang - we are all getting sea sick from this! Obviously the UDP is totally dis-organized, resulting in a truly chaotic government...get me some pepto-bismol please!
All chief officers and deputy
All chief officers and deputy chief officers should be relieved of their positions forthwith i.e. fired. They have failed in their responsibilities and should be made accountable. By the way all those politicians that are singing no cuts in civil servants will not be geting any vote from me. I would suggest the rest of voting Cayman do the same. I believe if new politicians campaigne for getting rid of all those expensive dead weights at the top, the rest of the hardworking civil servants will vote for you.
Civil Servants should pay 50%
Civil Servants should pay 50% of their health insurance benefits just as the private sector employees do. Why are civil servants or employees of the Government so special that they shouldn't have to pay anything for their health insurance?
Also, why does Government pay 12% pension for all it's employees, 100%? Private sector pay 10% and the employee pays 5% of the contribution. Why doesn't Government adapt the same values? How much could the country save if we only give the exact same benefits the employees would otherwise receive if working in the private sector? Lets see Government could save 5%, or as it is now 6%, of it's total wages for what (?) 6,000 employees? How much would that save the Governemnt? Why are Government employees any different? Why are they owed more than the rest of us for performing a job? A job they should be thankful to have. Sorry civil servants but it's the facts.
As I responded to another
As I responded to another comment here, because that is what I agreed in my contract.
I am willing and more then able to fulfil my side of the contract but if the terms are to change without my consent then it is constructive dismissal and they can pay up the value of my contract and I will be on my way.
Do not assume I do not care about my job. I am a professional putting in 11 hour plus days. I work well over and above my contractual obligations but I do not expect the counter party to renage on its side. If they could not afford me they should not have recruited me.
However there is a need to reduce waste in the system. Cutting budgets etc is what is needed and I have to question why there are still jobs being advertised.
You talk about facts but you
You talk about facts but you have one important fact incorrect. You say:
"Civil Servants should pay 50% of their health insurance benefits just as the private sector employees do."
I'm sick to death of hearing this as though everyone in the private sector has the same job with the same rewards. Some people have better jobs than others. Those with good jobs in the private sector get good benefits. Many many people in the private sector get their health insurance paid for them. Many get bonuses, their rent paid and school fees paid. I got free health insurance in the private sector. If I went to the private sector to perform the same role I do for government then i'd get free health insurance. I got it for 20 years in the private sector in the uk.
Many get bonuses, their rent
Many get bonuses, their rent paid and school fees paid. I got free health insurance in the private sector.
Many? really? out of probably a 100 high up employees I know in the private sector, none have their rent paid off, or school fees paid for and none have their pensions paid 100% free
If you worked in the private sector in the UK you did pay for your health care via taxes, think about it.
I personally are sick to death of freeloaders risking every Caymanian future and their childrens future for their own short term selfishness
As for heath benefits recently everyone at our firm went from paying 50% of heath benefits to 100% of families benefits.
Yep the rest of the island are scrapping the barrel while the CS stuff themselves with whats left in the larder before it's empty and our children starve
When taxes come everyone please remember it was not the UDP or PPM that destroyed Cayman but the greed of the civil servants.
Congratulations I hope you can look in the mirror when it happens.
I agree 100% to this
I agree 100% to this
None of the MLA have the
None of the MLA have the kahunas to upset the electorate (i.e. the civil service), so they pretty much tied their own hands behind their backs here.
The civil service is greatly overpaid compared to the private sector. It makes me laugh when I see admin jobs being advertised at over 50k a year, where the equivelent role in a company would get maybe 20-25k.
Obviously it's not nice for anybody to have a pay cut enforced on them, but unfortunately there is no alternative if the country is to stay afloat. If I was as overpaid as them I would feel a bit guilty raking in so much for doing so little.....
Rubbish. If the public sector
Rubbish. If the public sector was so well paid there would be thousands desperate to get a job there. Maybe you just didnt cut the mustard when you applied and were rejected. If so I wonder why.
Maybe the private company is
Maybe the private company is underpaying its people ?
Why don't you apply for that job, idiot.
The country has no
The country has no money....where will the pay and full benefits come from?
Who do you think? Us, the
Who do you think? Us, the tax (and everything else) payers.
Yet again Mac is bullied by
Yet again Mac is bullied by Watler into taking a big step back from what he has to do. We really need to cut civil service benefits drastically and cut 20% of the jobs. We are now going to have to ask the UK to be allowed to borrow more money when the UK's position has been absolutely clear.
Poor timid Mac... bullied by
Poor timid Mac... bullied by James Watler. Golly gee. What's a shy and delicate Premier to do?
hahaha....ya nearly make meh
hahaha....ya nearly make meh joke! Thanks for the laugh!
Ok, so now that has been
Ok, so now that has been cleared up would he address the growing crime?
WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!
WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!
You know I am sick and tired
You know I am sick and tired of this whole "I pay your benefits" argument being put forward by some very ignorant people. Exactly how do you pay for those things? By paying the same fees that I pay on a regular basis. At the very most your argument would have to be that you are paying a larger proportion than me. But then lets talk about all the things that I do for you, like working an average of 10 hours a day when I only get paid for 7.5, and not getting paid overtime or time-off-in-liue for doing so. Or the fact that I have health insurance that has an attached premium that accounts for people the private sector refuses to insure because they put on 10 pounds - why don't you go after them they are the ones causing the high cost. Or how about the fact that I am keeping the hospital open so you can use it when you need it. Or the fact that your garbage magically disappears whether you pay the fee or not. Or the fact that your children get educated for free. Or the fact that private sector schools would close if it weren't for Govt funding - I contribute to that and my children go to public school so if we are going to talk about people paying for their own share then I don't want to pay to send your children to private school while mine have to go to public school! How about that?
Stop acting as if the Civil Service is some separate entity that you can just cut away and the rest of you will be okay. Recognize that the VAST MAJORITY of Civil Service jobs are paid lower than private sector and therefore the so-called 'free' benefits are incentive offered to attract people into working for the Government. Stop the blanket statements against us, there are over 3,500 Civil Servants and a total of 6,000 Government workers... are you telling me that you experience even 10% of those people on a regular basis? Come on!
I have worked in both private and public sector and believe me, there are inefficiencies on both sides. I encountered quite a few lazy, do nothings in the private sector, so this is not an exclusive problem. Civil Servants RESENT lazy employees and are not afraid to say so, there is no protection afforded them by us and we would love to get rid of them.. but you know what, most of them are placed into the Civil Service by POLITICIANS looking to find employment for their constituents who couldn't find work in the private sector for reasons of prejudice or inability. Then those same politicians make public statements to downsize the Service.
They also interfere with Departments, like Social Services for instance, forcing them to pay money to people that shouldn't get it. You all need to understand one thing. We are not stupid people, we know the issues and we know how to fix them. But 1. we can't speak of them openly and 2. the solutions are usually not to the politicians advantage. if you seem to be disagreeing with a politician then they go behind your back and accuse you of being alligned with the other party and the next thing you know you are home for no reason.
By the way, genius private sector people, 1. Govt put together a task force of public and private sector accountants to get the late accounts done. It isn't working because the Govt workers have to spend all their time explaining public accounting to the private sector people! 2. The Government put together a group of its private sector supporters to approve the new revenue items that have failed miserably!!!! So some of you aren't as cracked up as you supposed to be either huh?
The biggest point lost in all of this is that the Civil Service was asked to cut expense and that happened, it downsized and it saved money on expenses, $7 million I think. The problem we are facing now is because the revenue didn't work!
So do me a favour and please SHUT UP about the Civil Service, you people don't even have a clue what you are talking about.
To say you know the problems
To say you know the problems and have solutions but cant talk about them is just not true.
You just dished out a real spectrum of sassiness to the public in this forum under the anonymous disguise, did'nt you?
You can see things your way. The Public who has to pay you salary certainly should be able to see things their way too.
You earn enough money to send your children to private schools just like the private sector employees do. Problem is if you and all the civil servants do that it would greatly reduce the amount of civil servants required in the schools and your membership would not want that, would you?
Well said!
Well said!
It is not the fault of the
It is not the fault of the Civil Servants people. What a load of baloney!
I worked for the private sector for a while, and now work for CIG as a civil servant.
In the private sector it is more organised and streamlined.Working in government if anything is harder and more difficult because it is so disconnected and beauracratic.
In government it is chaos, because of a lack of organisation and leadership. Some of the leadership dinasours also takes their fiefdom's as their personal right which is half of the problem.
What lunacy to suggest that
What lunacy to suggest that reducing government expenditure canbe achieved by reducing the number of civil servants and/or their salaries and benefits. Clearly this will never work.
The solution to all of the Cayman Islands problems is obvious. The government should immediately give all civil servants a 10% pay rise and recruit all unemployed caymanians regardless of their education or experience to the civil service workforce. This sudden increase in wealth will clearly result in increased expenditure and will immediately reduce unemployment thereby simultaneously eliminating all murders, shootings & crime and will increase local consumerism so that everyone will prosper.
Supermarkets and utility companies can immediately increase their charges by at least 5% so they too can share in the newly found wealth.
Cleary this will lead the country out of its current financial mess into prosperity for evermore.
Anyone who doesn't agree with the above obviously knows nothing and doesn't deserve to live in this country. Whether you are 1st generation, 4th generation or even 18th generation caymanian.
obviously a sarcastic post
obviously a sarcastic post but the scary thing is that people like moses kirkconnell actually beleive in this mentality!
LOL, I love this comment !
LOL, I love this comment ! Typical local government worker who is absolutley clueless to how the world actually works, and thinks 'money grows on trees'.
Delaying the required cuts, is only increase the 'pain' later on.
There's always one idiot in
There's always one idiot in the room.
I went to the hospital last
I went to the hospital last night with my child who was bleeding badly after a kitchen incident - we were told that we would have to wait 2 - 3 hrs - and there was practically no one in the emergency waiting roon - no one that was bleeding like my child anyway. I went to C. Tomlinson Hospital as my child could not wait that long and was treated immediately - my Gov. insurance was useless - but my child's well-being was paramount. GTH - has to step up and give a service - which I would be willing to pay for.
Well lucky you didn't go to
Well lucky you didn't go to CT hosp late at night as I once had to! The nurses were wonderful but the sourly doctor who was called out to attend to me made it quite clear that I was disturbing his evening by his shockingly unprofessional and hateful demeanor. On top of that, I was issued a huge bill for such awful service that I was left feeling even more ill and stressed by the time I left. As I was leaving that sad night I watched the overinflated ego that called itself a doctor recklessly speed out of the parking lot and there and then I decided not to even trust his prescription, which I threw in the garbage. I have never returned there, and have no intentions of doing so. Instead I prefer to wait for hours at GT Hosp where at least I have always been treated respectfully and in a caring manner by the poor overworked doctors on duty. So my dear, both hospitals have their issues but give me GT Hosp any day.
"I decided not to even trust
"I decided not to even trust his prescription, which I threw in the garbage."
Sounds you weren't sick that night, BoBo.
My goodness! I had an almost
My goodness! I had an almost identical experience at C.T. hospital as you did but I thought it was a one off incident and not the norm. It must have been the same fat cat doctor who was on call because the stinking attitude you describe was exactly what I had projected towards me when I took my ill child there one night. That character who they called doctor behaved more like a disconnected, uncaring military officer than a doctor who cared about my child's health and I too was extremely offended by the attitude and I have never returned. I dont have any intention of returning either. The H.S.A doctors are overworked but they care about their patients and they display it. I am so appreciative of how hard they work to take care of all of us and I am happy to be able to sing them and them praises!
Is it his job to care or to
Is it his job to care or to diagnose and treat? Many doctors have no personality, but that is no indicator of competence.
Yeah, just look at Dr
Yeah, just look at Dr Gregory House on TV. Now that is no bedside manner, but he knows what he is doing.
I applaud you. May I ask how
I applaud you. May I ask how much CTH charged you for that service?
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